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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27166699">The Dimensional Shock of a Lifetime</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/paperjack/pseuds/paperjack'>paperjack</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Cartoon 2018), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2012), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>2012 April and Casey are basically non-existent for a while here, 2012 turtles are a little bit toxic, Alternate Universe - Siblings, Angst and Humor, Battle Nexus (TMNT), Both Aprils are here to cradle them all, Crossover, Cussing, Dimension Travel, Donatello (TMNT) Needs a Hug, Donnie Needs A Break, Donnie is like having a crisis the entire time, Everyone Has Issues, Good Older Sibling Leonardo (TMNT), Hugs, Hurt Michelangelo (TMNT), Hurt/Comfort, Mikey is bad at not getting everyone into trouble, No Incest, No Romance, Other, Protective Leonardo (TMNT), Rise are squishy and hug a lot, Rise turtles love to wear all sorts of weird stuff and I'm here for it, Scientist Donatello (TMNT), Sibling Bonding, Sibling Love, Worried Raphael (TMNT), there is no turtle romance at all</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 00:54:16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>17,368</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27166699</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/paperjack/pseuds/paperjack</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After everything he has been through, the last thing Donnie wants to do is go into another dimension. Unfortunately, he isn't lucky enough for that not to happen, especially when it concerns his brother's antics. He isn't excited about this whatsoever.</p><p>(2012/Rise crossover fic)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>199</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The snapping of a certain sword</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Ah yes another 2012 and Rise crossover fic because I can't get enough of these guys. Starts off in 2012 universe before the season 4 finale. Rise universe takes place before their finale as well (so no Karai n all that). Dunno if I'll actually do this to completion but we'll see! I plan to add drawings if I get invested enough lol.</p>
    </blockquote><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>After everything he has been through, the last thing Donnie wants to do is go into another dimension. Unfortunately, he isn't lucky enough for that not to happen, especially when it concerns his brother's antics. He isn't excited about this whatsoever.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I finished 2012 finally, so the story now takes place after season 5 for the 2012 turtles. (They still however are in their teens, cause changing age requires a lot rewriting lol). Rottmnt takes place before their finale (so no karai and all that).</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There weren’t a lot of times where Donatello could ever feel truly at ease, whether it was because of constant death threats from deranged mutants or killer robots, or even weird space monsters--he could barely catch a breath to actually work on projects that interested him. Ones that <em> didn’t </em> involve worlds collapsing and potential loss and destruction, that is. Thankfully, these lonesome patrols he has taken up recently have given him a lot of free time to really think--and that’s only because Raph or Mikey aren’t constantly bombarding with questions or demands, unless its to haul shell over to their location to do a flimsy beat up on foot soldiers or the purple dragons (how are those guys still around?).</p><p>Donnie sat on the edge of a rooftop, peacefully scrolling through schematics he had uploaded to his phone so he could have them on him at all times. It was much more efficient to keep them with him in case of emergencies, not that he really ever forgot how any of them were set up or worked though. He hummed to himself, a light tune playing in his earbuds. The purple-themed turtle admitted that perhaps he should pay more attention on these patrols, but there hasn’t been a lot of criminal activity, and that’s partly why he agreed to do them in the first place. Karai and her witch “girlfriend” have taken care of that before the turtles ever could, outside of Leonardo who occasionally helps them out. Less workload on his plate and more time to focus on his hobby? Why would he ever decline such an offer.</p><p>He had been longingly looking at the schematics for Metalhead, his robot companion he hadn’t had the chance to rebuild. It’s been a hectic couple of months, and still is, so he couldn’t have possibly been able to repair his old friend. Death of his father, the earth getting blown up, an actually traumatic space race, even the fact there are now doubles of them somewhere off in the stars--it’s a bit much to take in. Even if everything is fixed they still have the looming threat of Shredder and his gangs on their shoulders, plus the occasional annoying Kraang that still think they have a chance at taking the planet. Donatello wasn’t even going to begin to let everything before all those experiences creep into his head either. He sighed, setting down his phone on his lap, looking down at the dirty alley below him. </p><p>He usually didn’t let all of these things get to him, or at least show that they do, because his brothers didn’t show it too much either. Or at least, they expressed it in their own distinct ways. Donnie just never talked like they did, but he supposes his way was to just dive into his machinery and get engrossed in it, drowning everything else out. The turtle had to admit, that sounded pretty good right now. However, he still had some time left before he could go back to the lair because who knows if Leo is actually timing how long he is out during patrol. Say, was there always a neon blue sign in this certain alleyway or had Donnie just been missing it all this time? It wasn’t exactly a sign though, the light just reminded him of it, and it sure was blinding.</p><p>“What the heck?” Donatello muttered, scrutinizing the area below him the best he could. He stood up, fumbling for his goggles so he could get a better look at it, and gently placing them over his eyes to protect them. What appeared in front of him was a circular disk; light blue and erratic in nature. It was clearly unstable by the gusts of air and deep sounds it was producing. He didn’t like the look of it at all, especially by the fact it was coming from the ground which was unlike any portal he had seen before. Donnie obviously assumed this was another portal, no way it wasn’t--he has seen enough of the dumb things to know right off the bat that it is one. Of course, he didn't think for even a second about going into it--Donnie was never going into an unpredictable glowing alien portal ever again; the fact he has made that promise to himself several different times says a lot about his commitment though, although it isn't usually of his own free will.</p><p>"Wonder what wacko and probably dangerous place you lead to, fella," Donnie drawled, lifting the goggles off his face and taking his earbuds out, his bandana's tails flailing in the makeshift wind. He wasn’t really planning on finding out the answer to that exact question. He pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration, begging for this anomaly to be over and done with. Before he could come up with any throwaway theories about it he heard a distant childish voice stalk up to him. </p><p>"Yo, Donnie!" Mikey greeted playfully; the strange blue haze soon captivated him and it began to occupy his short attention span. "Woah, hold on, are you hiding giant glow sticks from me, Don? You know I wanted those for my twelfth birthday!" He gasped, a goofy smile plastered to his face. Donatello was a bit distracted with everything at the moment to really take in his ridiculous idea, but it's best to let his orange-themed brother get his thoughts out before he explodes from excitement. "Raph and Leo went out of their way to get buttloads of normal sized glow sticks from that party store and you still refused, and now I know why! You wanted them to yourself, how could you?" He over exaggerated, hands on his head as he feigned ignorance. Donnie rolled his eyes, pushing Mikey's head away in retaliation to the mere suggestion. </p><p>"Yeah, because they <em> robbed </em> the store, Mikey," the mutant replied, "I wasn't about to get chewed out by Sensei like they did." Donnie slowly looked at his younger brother, shoulders lowering with an exasperated sigh. "Although, replacing them with an oversized version and putting it back would've been an awesome prank, even though you wanted them for your pseudo birthday party." Mikey clearly agreed when he somehow grinned bigger than before at the idea. </p><p>"Don't worry, you can make up for it by sharing whatever you got down there with me!" Michelangelo pointed to the still whirring portal smugly. "Whatever it is…" he commented after a slight pause, not exactly sure if he knew exactly what it was he was seeing. He was slightly apprehensive but his curiosity outweighed that. </p><p>"'fraid I can't really <em> share </em> something that isn't mine," Donnie responded, not really bothered by the notion; placing his T-phone and buds back on his belt hastily. "It's another portal, I'm not familiar with it though and it could have some pretty bad consequences if anyone entered it in this <em> clearly </em> highly unstable and unrefined state. I suggest we put some police tape around it and leave it be so humans know to stay away." It seemed like whatever he said didn't even get through to Mikey's ears. The only thing he cared about was the word "portal" which probably meant crazy weird alternate dimensions or zones to explore.</p><p>"<em>Whaaat? </em> You don't wanna see what's on the other side? So boring, Donnie!" The younger of the two pouted, pulling on the other's shell in a needy way. Michelangelo never really knew when to not leap at deadly and life changing adventure potentiality--all that ever meant to him was "fun" and "cool things"! Donnie didn't exactly blame him for the childish view, cause he would've been gunho for entering if it was the him from a few months ago. There is just too much going on for any of this exploring, especially in a portal this unsettling.</p><p>"Trust me, I've been on the opposite side of these things way more than I should have in a lifetime, I'm never going in--" As soon as he had made that attempt at getaway, the weight beneath his feet slipped away and the wind began to feel as if it were dragging him closer to the blue light. He had felt a light push before it had happened but he didn't have much of a chance to process it before falling headfirst into the gaping mouth of the cyan portal. All he heard before then was a brief remark about having contacted the others and a fading shout of "Cannonball!"</p><p>As he traveled through the electrifying blue tunnel thousands of sounds and images attacked his mind. New York, his brothers, Splinter, Casey, April--it was as if all he knew was being shredded and then resembled poorly by a toddler, misshapen and indistinguishable. Donnie winced, clutching his head to pathetically attempt to push out the pain. This was unlike anything he had ever experienced; he was already way past the point of when he should have fainted from it.</p><p><em> Thud. </em> </p><p>Grogginess, aching, exhaustion, dry; these were the feelings Donatello was currently experiencing, and much to his annoyance. He stirred quietly, breathing heavy and hot as it brushed back up into his face, his heart feeling as if it wanted to give out with how sharp the pain in his chest was. Donnie pushed two fists onto the ground, struggling to get himself even a centimeter off of it before collapsing back down. He slowly pried his eyes open, darkness being the only thing he could see outside of tiny rays of light. These tiny bits of light consumed his vision, Donnie frantically blinked to try and regain his sight. He squinted again, peering down in disbelief at the damp ground he was laying on. Donnie moved an arm around to his side, eying his naginata that laid a bit to his left propped up on something and reaching for it. When he eventually grabbed it, he began to strain himself as he attempted to pick himself up, using the staff to carry his weight. What had happened was rushing back to him as he pushed against whatever was weighing him down and keeping him there. There was no way this was really happening to him right now, not--</p><p>“...again!”</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Being the most charismatic and affable of the teenage mutant group was pretty difficult for Leonardo, but he was also the most rebellious and out-there with his actions--and that came with constant reprimands from his older brothers on how he is badly influencing Michelangelo. He can't help being so risk-taking, it's in his blood to take a chance and get solid results no matter what it is. However, that reckless mindset is what ended up with his ōdachi going a bit more haywire and out of control than normal. The slider couldn't say he has exactly <em>mastered</em> the thing completely yet, or at all, but the portals he produced this time around were far from their typical self. There was something off about them in an unsettling way--he didn't dare step into them for fear of what could happen. This wasn't the greatest time for the weapon to be going crazy and that's because there is no way the Foot clan are going to wait for him to figure stuff out here. Yes, they were fighting the Foot at the moment. Leonardo would've snidely remarked about his poor timing to break things had he not been so off-set by it all. How did his ōdachi end up being busted? Well, Leo would describe it as a lit bit of "missing the target and accidentally hitting the ground instead only for it to crack". He is apparently stronger than he originally figured.</p><p>"What the--Leo, what did you do?" Don yelled over to his twin after hearing the loud shattering of the mystic weapon, looking at Leo's blatant panic as he scanned the object. It produced a strange sound when no pieces even came off; the metal simply split, the lines now residing within it a few centimeters long in length. The blue-themed turtle shook his head frantically, dodging some foot soldier's attacks as he focused on the broken tool in his hands.</p><p>"I don't know! I didn't even think these things could break!" Leon rebutted as he dipped under a high kick and proceeded to knock his opponent off their feet afterwards. He could practically feel the unstable mystic energy writhing in his hands the more he held onto it. </p><p>"Woah, you broke your mystic weapon?" Raphael said in alert, subconsciously shoving and throwing the ninjas less than half his size across the warehouse as he listened in to their conversation. Mikey perked up at this notion, shocked as well but not entirely gauging the severity of such news.</p><p>"Oh gosh, I might rethink using mine for all those tightrope stunts and as floss now!" The box turtle wailed frantically as he pulled his head in before a shuriken could damage his delicate face. He popped out in a frazzled state as he nearly got hit by another blade. Raphael quickly shoulder bashed the enemies messing with his youngest brother, the figures disappearing into paper this time around. They often fought a combination of actual soldiers or origami figures, why either of them existed or worked, they didn't know. Mystics are strange, even Donnie, the smartest of the group, had no idea how they worked. The Foot clan leaders began to cower at the turtles as they realized the situation.</p><p>"You broke <em>what?</em>  Oh, we're outta here!" The skinnier of the leaders proclaimed, running off before the turtles could really question them on what they meant. Leonardo was even more frustrated at the enemies just running off before they could capture or at least tell them off. He barely got to hit anything due to his sword being cranky with him!<br/>
<br/>
"I'm garnering from their reactions that this is <em>not</em> good," Don sighed as he watched the criminals flee, slowly walking over to the lighter toned turtle to take a look at his ōdachi. He took it out of Leon's hands, goggles falling over his eyes as he took a closer look at the deep cracks etched into the blade. Tiny sparks of energy were zipping through the lines and when he touched it with his hand he felt a light fuzzy sting. He stood there staring at it for a few more seconds, cutting Mikey off from asking what he was thinking about. "Yep, I have no idea what's wrong with it. But, it's probably unstable, don't use it," the soft shelled turtle adjourned, handing it back. Leonardo looked down sadly at his favorite weapon, how could this have happened to him?</p><p>"Sorry to hear that Leo," Raphael put a comforting hand on the aforementioned turtle's back as he spoke, "there's got to be a way to fix it, right Don?" The purple-themed turtle gave an expression of thought before replying.</p><p>"Maybe, but not by my hands. <em>Thankfully,</em> we can go ask Draxxum about it since he is all mystic and knowing, he probably has a solution," Don exaggerated, hands on his hips, not really caring all that much for talking to the guy. He knows he is gonna have to end up helping repair it alongside Mikey since they both actually know how to forge, but he prays the mutater can do it himself for the most part. Leo held the ōdachi in his offhand, the tip of the blade barely touching the ground that was still covered in shredded paper. That ended up being yet another mistake for the mystic weapon reacted violently. Portals, blue and electric portals suddenly came out of no where and were scattered across the warehouse. Some were devouring the paper, others were dumping random objects into the room from unknown places. The red-eared slider's face somehow got even more red than usual as he looked at the onslaught he had accidentally caused. The air was intense and not just from the alarmed and annoyed faces he was receiving; wind was blowing freely through the closed building, their bandana's and mask's tails whipping against their faces in an irritating manner.</p><p>"Leo, I didn't know you could make this many portals! Look at all this cool junk!" Michelangelo complimented, running over to one of the ceiling portals as it spewed unfamiliar items that the soft shell turtle would gladly take. The assortment of things now at the younger turtle's feet ranged from random foods to strange machinery. Donald would've been pleased with the sudden accessibility to scraps for his projects, but not at the cost of their own shells to this incontrollable magic jumbo. The giant snapper freaked slightly at Mikey potentially grabbing anything sharp or dangerous so he quickly picked up the smaller turtle off the ground and into his arms. Thankfully, all he seemed to have were artistic doo-dads and painting tools--of course he grabbed that out of everything, that must be the only good thing coming out of this mess.</p><p>"Shut it off!" Donnie demanded, Leonardo throwing his arms up in confusion, the ōdachi in hand. He hastily got to swinging the sword in some ways attempting to stop it from creating more portals before they get drowned by stuff. It only seemed to make things worse as the piling got faster.</p><p>"I'm trying! It's not working!" He shouted back, the whir of the wind making it difficult to hear one another. Raphael huffed, setting Mikey down beside Donnie as he moved to grab the weapon. Leo let him take it, figuring the oldest, and the leader, would be able to handle this problem. He wish he could, but it wasn't responding to him. However, despite now in another person's hands, the ōdachi wasn't quieting down. Raphael began to sweat in concern, both hands on the handle, attempting to withstand the energy. Suddenly, his own mystic energy from his tonfas was reacting, red infusing with the blue in a chaotic way. It released a loud thundering sound, everyone wincing in pain.</p><p>"Uh oh," was all the snapper could muster before being blown onto his back by a sudden gust of high winds. Donnie gritted his teeth as he pushed against the pseudo whirlwind with all his might, leaning on his bo staff to keep his footing steady as he leap towards the ōdachi, firmly grabbing it in his hands. For some reason it had began to calm, not being in contact with other mystics or its holder. It was still emitting a faint burst of energy every now and then, but the severity was way less when it was now in the scientist's hands. Everyone let out a sigh of relief in unison, all of them each with their own regrets and reserves about the situation now. So, now they know what happens when they break anything mystic--yeah, this is going to be a pain to deal with.</p><p>"I-I'm sorry about that, I had no idea any of that would happen," Leo admitted with an apologetic tone. He didn't like almost being responsible for endangering the team again, this time completely on his own accord and not due to some wacko villain. It wasn't like they hadn't experienced these kinds of things before, however this time it felt like he messed up big time. Saying your wrong and screwed up is the hardest thing sometimes, thankfully he knows his brothers are understanding--doesn't completely erase the guilt though.</p><p>"Ah, don't sweat it," Raphael shook his head, fixing his mask so that it fit his face right again. Piles of trash stirred beside Donnie, the purple turtle slightly jumping as Michelangelo launched from the rubble, soon regaining an unamused look at the action. He had tons of splattered paint all over him, some of it dry and crusty by now due to the unwanted airdry from the ōdachi. It looks like those art tools he had found earlier were no longer salvageable. </p><p>"Yeah, none of us knew that could happen! But think about it, maybe one day you <em>can</em> make that many portals on your own!" The youngster suggested as he piped in to the comforting, encouraging Leonardo to continue training and mastering his craft. The slider only gave a disgruntled laugh in response, rubbing the back of his neck anxiously. All he had on his mind right now was how they were going to fix his weapon and whether they'll actually go through the loads of items. It wasn't technically stealing, right? There was no way he could return any of it anyway. Raphael already looked like he knew what he was going to ask so he let out another sigh.</p><p>"You can go through it, but if anything has a name on it or a price tag we return it! Stealing isn't nice...nor a good look for us," the red-themed turtle decided, Mikey smiling giddily as he dived back into the dump. He was glad this place was abandoned or else they would have to do some serious spring cleaning in here, and he knew for a fact not everyone would partake in it, especially Donnie. Speaking of the intelligent turtle he was currently winded and freaking out slightly at what had just happened, the cracked blade still in his palms.</p><p>"Are none of us going to comment about how his ōdachi just created tons of portals that just stole half of New York's inventory? No? Fine! Donatello, do not lose it, you work too hard to be bothered by more mystical bullcrap!" He consoled himself, dragging his free hand down his face in exasperation. "Question the logistics of it any more and you're going to blow a fuse..." Donnie finished his existential crisis by stashing the sword at his side, the object refusing to go back to its previous kunai-shaped form for easier maneuvering. He didn't want to be holding this thing, but there was no way he was trusting any of them with it--especially with how their mystic weapons reacted to it too. He didn't want to go searching through any of this mess, nothing seemed remotely useful but perhaps he'll go through another time when he's less stressed about how Leonardo potentially tore several holes in reality. </p><p>Everyone kept to themselves outside of sharing a few neat things they pulled out of the piles: weird documents, mementos, a few plushies for Mikey, and even some preserved foods. They figured it wasn't all bad but the guilty feeling of taking from others still dragged them down--except for Donnie, he didn't care all that much about it. As Mikey packed a bag he had found with all sorts of things like it was free Christmas, he suddenly heard a faint shifting beneath the pile he was standing on. Muffled groans caught his attention, the small turtle not taking his chances. As he tried to safely get down from it he ended up slipping and sliding down, his limbs sucking in as he did so to protect himself. Raphael and Leonardo perked up at the sudden collision, walking over to their brother. There wasn't much urgency for they had figured he was just going down it like that on purpose. The biggest mutant turtle picked up Mikey by his sides, Mikey then shooting out of it when he knew he was far enough off the ground to safely do so.</p><p>"Guys! I-I think Leo may have kidnapped someone!" He cried, pointing to the stack of trash he was just on. Everyone was looking at it now, even the uninterested purple mutant in the back. This wasn't good, what if it was a human? They could see them and they would totally freak out and expose them! Or...they would figure they're just cosplayers like the rest of New York thinks. Raph set the boy down only for him to hide behind his large shell and legs nervously. The items kept stirring, moving, low and deep voices protruding from the stack. Whatever's in it couldn't possibly be human at this point with the sounds its making--but the struggle sounded real, it needed help, it was going to suffocate. Michelangelo slowly inched out from behind the taller figure and approached where the sounds were coming from. He began to dig, throwing things to his sides and onto his lap as he proceeded to try and reach the being. They must have been digging as well since trash started falling inward from where he was looking.</p><p>"I cannot believe your sword brought someone here too," Donnie drawled, pulling away from his phone for a second just to complain.</p><p>"I didn't want to take someone against their will! Or whatever it is...in there," Leo refuted, getting quieter as he spoke as anxiety began to sit in. "Gosh, dad is going to kill me." He slammed his face into whatever he was holding in his hands at the time, which ended up being an RC car he had picked up when searching. It hurt, but he felt he deserved it, it also distracted him from the dread of seeing who he had dragged into this abandoned warehouse. Suddenly the hill erupted, a familiar face bursting from it. Everyone reeled back in surprise and also deep regret as they saw who it was. They yanked what was in their mouth out after taking a hard bite, the glare in their eyes telling them were very set on berating them.</p><p>"What in the actual mystic sword ninjutsu bullshit was that!" April yelled, "I was choking on a piece of bread. Bread! Because of you portaling me outta nowhere during my girl talk sesh with Sunita! Do you even know what that gal is going through?" She pointed the loaf at Leo's chest as she stomped down. Her brows were furrowed, expression filled with anger and disappointment. Before she could put her arm down, Mikey slid up and took a solid chomp out of the piece of gluten. April sighed, placing it in the young turtle's hands and shaking her head in irritation. Raphael would've reprimanded her for cussing in front of Mikey, but he figured it was best to stay quiet and listen for now.</p><p>"I don't like being angry with you so never do that again!" She advised with her finger even closer to Leo's face. He shrunk back at the threatening gesture, not even placing his hands up in protest. Had he not been careless and slashing his ōdachi around this really wouldn't have happened in the first place--although he had no idea it could happen! It was an accident, after all, not that it excuses anything.</p><p>"No, no, you're right, sorry April." The red-eared slider was going to avoid her demanding eye contact that was burning holes into him, yet he felt it necessary to look at her directly to truly express his sincerity. Man, he was doing a lot of apologizing today, rightfully so--but it still felt like the worst feeling ever. Before anyone got a chance to really explain to her what had happened, Donnie felt the need to interject.</p><p>"Hey, I know you're pissed and all that, but April wasn't the only thing moving in the piles," Donnie sighed, tilting his head to the right in a gesture to a collection of items that was in fact moving. '<em>Oh Lou Jitsu, it was moving!' </em>Leonardo internally screamed.</p><p>"Was that what you were looking at this <em>entire</em> time? And you were just <em>standing</em> there?" Raphael scrutinized, "They could be suffocating, Don!" He rushed over and started digging faster than Mikey ever could. The snapper began to hear faint breathing and then a subtle gasp as they came into view. The person in question popped out, eyes meeting the much larger turtle. He stared in disbelief, was he really seeing this? Was everyone seeing this?</p><p>
  
</p><p>"Holy scomber scombrus," the being breathed out, eyes wide in terror and confusion. "Is there a giant Raphael in front of me or do I have a concussion? Definitely a concussion..." he muttered to himself, instantly falling back in dizziness and exhaustion, clearly fainting. Said giant Raphael caught the tiny turtle before he hit his head on anything else. The teenage mutants looked at their brother expectantly, awaiting an answer as to whom was there. April still had gritted teeth, frustration blatantly on her face as she contemplated on how to get home. Raphael picked up the familiar however strange mutant by his sides, whisking him off so his brothers could get a better look at what he found and take it all in.</p><p>"It's a tiny Donatello!" Mikey shouted. Yep, in fact it <em>was</em> a tiny Donnie that was blacked out in the arms of an unusually large Raphael (for him that is). Now how on earth was Leonardo going to explain <em>this</em> to his father instead? And how was he ever going to handle two Donnies? <em>Today is the worst.</em></p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. One world's turtle is another world's duplicate</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Everyone is about to get to know the small Donnie and where exactly he came from.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you for the kind comments!! Really helps me motivate myself to work on the story and get it out for y'all.<br/>Rottmnt Donnie = Don, Donald<br/>2012 Donnie = Donnie, Donatello</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Was this really happening? No, impossible--there was no way there was another Donatello, that couldn't happen. Or could it? They've seen plenty of weird mystic stuff, maybe this was actually plausible?</p><p>Leonardo was having an internal crisis at the situation in front of him that everyone else didn't seem that shocked about. Raphael was carrying a shorter Donnie in his arms, cradling him with care as he was clearly passed out and exhausted. He must've hit the ground hard with all those scratches and marks. They had all decided to head back to the lair with whatever goodies they wanted from the piles and this newfound copy. April had enough turtles for today after being told what happened and headed back to her house. The slider was honestly dreading interacting with <em>two</em> condescending and intelligent turtles. Mikey on the other hand was ecstatic, practically brimming with energy and questions and barely being able to hold them in on their way back. Raphael set the smaller turtle onto a recliner in the living room, making sure to do it gently due to the comment about a 'concussion' and especially with all the bruises. The snapper felt terrible about what had happened and it was blatant in the solemn expression on his face.</p><p>"Y'know I'm not sure if I should find this really hilarious or be unsettled by the fact your ōdachi just brought another <em>me</em> here," Don contemplated, a hand on his chin the other on his hip. He wasn't unfamiliar to the concept of interdimensional travel nor on how it worked, but he never knew the mystic weapon could possibly do such a thing. It was interesting and <em>very</em> concerning. Leonardo groaned at his twin's words, folding his arms in discontent and annoyance.</p><p>"Like I'd ever want two of you," the blue-themed turtle muttered, sticking out his tongue. Donald wasn't hurt by this action, he only popped a brow up in a "are you serious" look. Raphael wasn't about to let them butt heads over this.</p><p>"Guys, stop it," he demanded and just by those words the both of them let out a nod in understanding. Leonardo held himself closer to his arms, unsure of why he was so bothered by all this. He shouldn't be <em>this</em> upset--he didn't mean to do any of it and nobody was really blaming him anymore. Heck, he didn't even have to apologize anymore, although he was sure the littler Donnie might want one alongside an explanation. Before he could get sucked into his unease he was suddenly hugged. Mikey looked up at Leo with a toothy smile, it was comforting. That was all the help he needed to get himself out of his funk. He gave his brother a pat on his head, smiling back.</p><p>"So, what's the game-plan?" Leo spoke up, Raph clearly having his "thinking face" going on at the moment. He shook his head, unsure, but all he did know was that the other Donnie needed some rest, and an icepack.</p><p>"I think for now we let him sleep, Mikey can you go grab some ice and a towel from the fridge?" Raphael asked politely, the orange-themed mutant nodding as he let go of Leo and ran over to the refrigerator. He then turned to his own Donatello, the turtle still scrolling aimlessly through his phone with a less-than-interested facial expression. "Don, do you got any ideas on how we can get him back to wherever he came from?" The soft shell instantly let out a tiny huff at being talked to, putting his electronics away and walking over to get a good look at his duplicate.</p><p>"Well, Leonardo has never been able to make interdimensional portals before, it's only happened when his ōdachi broke. If we fix it there is a chance he won't be able to return--that is, by that method I mean," Donald gave a smug smirk, his battle shell swiftly pulling a touch screen in front of his face as he looked through some schematics. "I've never tried it before, but I'm positive I can come up with a device to get him back." He suddenly went quiet as he focused on tapping through the pad and finding if he could use anything as a base.</p><p>"...and if you can't make one?" Leonardo jeered slightly. He was confident in Donald's abilities, and he knew he himself was extremely confident too, but that never meant he didn't have any apprehension. Donald held a hand on his chest in offense, hurt by the mere notion he couldn't accomplish this task.</p><p>"Oh, <em>I</em> can make one alright," the soft shelled turtle boasted, practically demanding respect. He suddenly dropped the positive attitude as he gave a tiny shrug. "If it works or not is the problem." Raphael and Leonardo both looked like they got jolted even more awake at those words. The snapper turned to look at Leonardo.</p><p>"Okay so, back-up plan: Leo needs to learn how to do that dimension hopping thing with his weapon once Draxxum fixes it!" Raphael exclaimed, the red-eared slider standing there in confusion before he realized what he had said.</p><p>"W-wait, I don't even know how that works, maybe I can just try it--" </p><p>"Nope! Not happening! I am not cleaning this lair up alone when one of those portals go crazy!" Raph moved his arms in a "no" gesture as Mikey finally returned and placed a pseudo ice-pack on the other Donnie's forehead. He also began to wrap up some of the cuts Donatello had sustained with bandages to make sure they didn't open up. Leonardo gingerly watched as Michelangelo did this, a sour expression on his face when he thought about all the training he was going to have to do. If Don couldn't get his machine working he was going to have to somehow manage to make a portal to whatever dimension this other guy came from. Which meant he was going to need a mental image of the place. Which means talking to him. Wow, did he dislike talking to Donnie that much? No, that wasn't it--he just wanted to take a nap and eat some pizza right now.</p><p>"Guys, look, he's moving!" Michelangelo piped up, getting everyone's attention. Even Don wanted to know how an alternate-him worked.</p><p>"Everyone be nice! Don't freak him out!" Raphael quickly got out there before the turtle fully woke up. Donnie blinked a bit, groggy from the constant sleeping he had unwillingly endured. He looked to the left, a slightly familiar turtle brandishing an orange bandana in his face. He didn't look right, there weren't even any freckles. Donatello dragged his vision up to in front of him, three other turtles close to him and staring at him expectantly. He would be lying if he thought for a second he wasn't getting claustrophobic here and a bit squeamish at the eyes on him. Wait a second, more turtles?</p><p>"So it really was a portal to another dimension--<em>how shocking...</em>" Donatello sarcastically stated to himself aloud. He moved to sit further up to get comfortable, his shell pushing against the cushions. Raphael quickly pulled everyone away from the other Donnie to give him space, but it only gave him a better look at the giant Raph he just now remembered existed. Shock returned to his features as he looked him up and down--yeah, that's terrifying.</p><p>"Hey, other Donald, nice gap tooth, very dead-on with the nerdy look, huh?" Leonardo commented, Raphael only shoving his face away again to make him stop being rude, annoyed that he didn't listen to his warning. Don giggled to himself at his twin getting pushed away by Raph. Michelangelo looked like he was going to explode again.</p><p>"Oh my gosh, where are you from? Are you actually another Donatello? How did you know where the portal went? Are you really smart too?" Mikey boomed with questions, everyone sweat dropping slightly at his bombardment on the woozy stranger. He suddenly gasped, "wait, do you know who I am?" Donatello gave a subtle sigh, rubbing his sore head and keeping the icepack on it.</p><p>"Oh, of course I know who you are!" Donatello waved his off, irritated by the fact he asked that. He couldn't help his already dwelling anger about his own brother leak through against this new one. He supposes he might as well get to answering. "Another dimension...<em>yes, </em>I am, and I've done this before...and obviously," he finished. Mikey had shrunk down a bit at the sudden anger, but he couldn't exactly blame him since he was just dragged into another dimension against his will. Everyone else was a bit offset by the tone he gave off however not willing to comment on it. Donatello wasn't completely over the fact that the Raphael of this world was towering over everyone else. "You're Raph, right?" He questioned wearily as he gestured at the snapper.</p><p>"Yeah, what about it?" The red-themed turtle responded.</p><p>"What, is he cooler and more awesome than your Raphael? I don't blame you for being jealous, this guy is pure unbridled muscle," Leonardo laughed, climbing his big brother's back as he pat his plastron. Raphael was slightly embarrassed however flattered by Leon's words, laughing a bit nervously. Donatello was even more confused now--what was this Leonardo on? He never thought he'd hear such words come out of a Leo's mouth about Raph of all people.</p><p>"No, I'm honestly glad my Raph isn't that big," he replied rather deadpan. Donatello was still taken aback by the fact Leo was also climbing him. "Wow, this is just weird." He shook his head, moving to get up. Everyone shifted back to give him space as he removed himself from the chair. He adjusted his sash and belt, thankful that his earbuds and T-phone were still on his person and he hadn't seemed to lose anything. Wait--where was his staff? "You have got to be kidding me--have any of you seen a Naginata?" He desperately spoke out, dreading the idea that he lost his weapon in this mess.</p><p>"Naginata?" Leo questioned, not sure if he heard that word before (granted none of them use one).</p><p>"He means this," Don sighed, handing the other Donnie his bo staff and receiving a quiet thanks in acknowledgement. Of course he had to be the only one to pick it up and know it wasn't some disregarded piece of wood. His tech bo staff was still cooler though. Raphael was curious as to why this Donnie was so uneasy around him, he <em>was</em> big, but wouldn't he be used to mutant turtles by now since he is one? </p><p>"Heh, is your err...Raph the same height as you?" Raphael questioned, saying his own nickname feeling weird to him. Donnie placed his staff on his back as he faced the taller and way more muscular Raph. He seemed far more mellow and polite, which was already having the purple-themed turtle drowning in shock. He was astonished that Leo was even touching him for one thing and that he was letting him! Not that everyone didn't hug or anything, but this was a lot more touchy then he has ever seen his brothers be. </p><p>"Shorter, actually," Donnie replied. Everyone seemed to get a kick out of this. </p><p>"Wait a second, so you're saying you have a <em>tiny</em> Raphael in your universe?" Donald stifled a laugh, amazed at that idea. Leo and Mikey were thinking more along the lines of how cute that was to imagine.</p><p>"Compared to your Raphael here, he is a lot angrier too," Donatello continued, "...you're barely even the same person." He was referring to the snapper here in a general way, still baffled and a bit scared of how giant he is. Nobody else seemed to be cowering in fear at it and he seemed pretty nice, so he tried to let it go.</p><p>"A tiny <em>and</em> angry Raph? It just gets better!" Leonardo blurted, holding his stomach in laughter. They almost never make fun of their Raphael but the idea was just too absurd and hilarious. Since this Donnie said they weren't much alike he took that as an invitation to giggle about it. "Wait wait, next you're gonna tell me he isn't the leader <em>or</em> oldest!" What did he just say? That must be a joke, right? There was no way these were alternate versions of them at all at this rate.</p><p>"He isn't...wait, Raph leads here? Oh god, I'd hate to see how you all fight." Donnie writhed in quiet agony, feeling his headache getting worse by the second at all this new information. Now that wasn't something any of them were really expecting to hear. Raph let out another nervous chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck at the alternate Donatello's words. Leonardo quickly picked up on the fact his older brother was uncomfortable.</p><p>"Hey, hold on! We fight just fine, thank you very much! He's a fantastic leader," Leon defended, consoling Raph by placing a hand on his shoulder and another holding one of his big hands. Another thing Donnie never thought he'd see nor hear, maybe he needs to wash his eyes once he gets back home and take a long nap. Both Mikey and the Don of this world nodded their heads in agreement, slightly offended that they weren't trusted to be masters of ninjutsu...not that they really were--but they still got the job done! Mikey scurried up to the outsider in glee after everyone settled down from that offhand comment.</p><p>"What about me? What am I like?" Michelangelo beckoned. Donnie wasn't exactly sure what to say, as far as he's seen they were pretty much the same. Needy, talkative, spontaneous, annoying--you get it.</p><p>"Pretty same," Donnie said, dragging his words, still uncertain. Mikey slumped instantly, falling back onto a beanbag chair out of disappointment. It wasn't all bad, if they ever came here he would finally have someone on his own level. Leonardo placed a free hand on Mikey's shoulder for a second only to instantly move away and ask:</p><p>"Now, what am <em>I</em> like? Tell me everything, don't leave out any gritty details." He stood with poise in front of Donnie, a pointer finger under his chin, clearly pleased with being taller than him. "I'm probably some mutant superstar, super popular and skilled. Maybe I got my own fragrance? <em>Leonardo~.</em>" He jokingly dragged his hands in the air imitating an arc as he spoke his name. Donatello's brows went up as he watched this version of Leo speak so childishly. </p><p>"There is no way you're anything like that," Donald protested, putting his tech away back into his battle shell, shoving Leo's shoulder and unbalancing him for a second so the other him could look at him instead. "Right, other me?" His twin huffed, shoving him back only to receive a kick in the shin as he fought back for his place. Raphael shook his head, picking them both up by their backs and separating them. The twins both folded their arms, Don snickering to himself that he got Leo in trouble again but quickly going back to his typical motionless demeanor. Donatello watched, mentally noting that him and Leo were the constant butting-heads pair in this dimension, at least from what he's seen. </p><p>"You don't seem to be anything like my Leonardo either," Donatello drawled, "and so it gets weirder!" He whined to himself, throwing his arms up and letting them fall back down with ease. That wasn't really the direct answer either middle child turtle was looking for here.</p><p>"See, he didn't deny it!" Leon shouted, pointing at Donald with superiority in his stance, taking the ignoring of his question as a win. Donnie proceeded to ignore their bickering as they continue to fight, the large Raph attempting to stop them but failing as he was having a hard time reprimanding his own Donatello. Donnie swore he could see a look of betrayal on the other him's face when he didn't answer him properly. He felt like he was doing a lot of sighing in annoyance today, almost to the point of wanting to just yawn. </p><p>"Can you all settle down," Donatello pleaded, pinching the bridge of his nose. He was very surprised he wasn't getting frustrated with Mikey of all people right now. "As much as I <em>love</em> just answering questions, mine are more important right now. How did you guys make that portal?" He figured it was by the use of science, obviously, but whomever made it did a horrible job due to how unstable it was. Everyone knew that no Donnie ever liked questions, never stopped them from asking though. In unison Don and Mikey pointed at Leo, one innocent the other kind of enjoying the other him actually getting his brothers to listen to him. Leonardo gave a nervous laugh as Raphael set him down.</p><p>"Yeah, about that, basically I broke my magic ōdachi and so it created a bunch of probably interdimensional portals that scooped ya' up here into our world! At least that's what I <em>think</em> happened," Leo's confidence hindered as he continued to speak. It all happened so fast it was pretty much a blur to him.</p><p>"Magic?" He had only encountered things "mystical-like" a few times and that was mostly due to mutant powers. Donnie has never heard of a weapon ever possessing such characteristics. </p><p>"Best not to question it, but I'm gathering that you probably don't have mystics in your world, right?" Donald advised having been unable to understand the logistics of anything magical and still struggling to do so.</p><p>"I guess I'd have to say no," Donnie shrugged, "do all of you have this 'mystic' stuff? Like weapons?" He forget to mention that it wasn't really this Leonardo's fault that he ended up here, but it seemed a bit too late to say it now.</p><p>"Well yes and no," Donald answered, "we all have mystic energy within us that we can tap into using ninpo, but the weapons are separate entities altogether. Some people just seem to have magical powers too. I choose not to use any of that though," he huffed, still tense about that subject.</p><p>"Understandable," his dimensional counterpart agreed, "I wouldn't use that stuff either even if I could." Seems the two Donnies were bonding on their mutual hatred for things they can't comprehend. "We have ninpo in my world but only Leo uses it, and very rarely."</p><p>"I see, I'm still the most skilled no matter the dimension--" Leo smirked to himself, receiving a shove into the ground once again by Raphael. He gave the smaller Donatello a smile.</p><p>"Don't worry, we already got a plan to get you back home!" Raphael wasn't exactly sure if everything was going to work out, but he didn't want the mutant fretting over it. "If Don's okay with it you can help him in the lab with it, right Don?" The soft shelled turtle begrudgingly nodded, not at the idea of working with someone actually at his intellect level but more of just being ordered around. Donatello wondered what he would see in a fellow him's lab--he did look like he had better materials based on the staff and mechanized shell he was carrying around on his back. Mikey let out a yawn, already asleep on the beanbag he had plopped down on earlier. Raphael maneuvered himself over and picked up the sleeping turtle. "It's getting pretty late, we'll head over to Draxxum's tomorrow and see what we can do about Leo's sword."</p><p>"Yeah, Mikey's got the right idea, I'm exhausted!" Leo let out a yawn as well, reaching for his ōdachi only for Don to back away protectively. He pouted at his brother's reaction, wanting to back.</p><p>"No, you are not holding this. Seeing how I'm the only one who it doesn't go crazy on, I'll keep it for now," Donald reprimanded, holding the sword back behind him and out of his reach. "Not sorry to take your cuddle buddy!" He grinned, walking over to his lab before the red-eared slider could say anything.</p><p>Donatello watched as Leo groaned with his head back, hopping up onto Raph's back as the giant snapper began to put everyone to bed. He had to admit, not having to walk everywhere would be nice sometimes. Was he really thinking about climbing on Raphael of all people? No, he'd die if he tried, whether it was gonna be from the fall or from Raph hitting him, he didn't want to find out. Nobody had seemed to tell him where he was sleeping tonight, but he supposed it was going to be the couch. He proceeded to follow his counterpart in this world back to the lab, seeing what he had planned. Interacting with these other dimension siblings was exhausting.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Since this one is very story-heavy I think I'll make another fic with little interactions between all the turtles and how they react to stuff (Things that I don't include here of course, but be a little out-of-canon to this story. Please feel free to suggest stuff you'd like to see). I also might add a short story about what happens with the 2012 Mikey, Raph, and Leo since I got some plans for them to come a bit later and it would seem a bit weird to shove it in here. We'll see. Thanks for reading!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Two Donatellos in a lab</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Both of the Donnies get to talking about their experiences. They're a little envious of one another.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Reminder!!<br/>Rise: Donald, Don<br/>2012: Donatello, Donnie</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Usually if you were to meet another you, you'd be brimming with questions and begging for answers. However, this isn't how Donnie felt at all. He had already met another him before, so it was hard not to think he already knows everything there is to know about other-dimensional hims. But, this was the first time for Donald, although his excitement wasn't something he outwardly expressed to his counterpart--or anyone for that matter.</p><p>"So you're a master in how many fields of Ninjutsu?" Don inquired, a little apprehensive. </p><p>"Ehh eleven? Give or take a few other things," Donatello replied, shrugging slightly as he struggled to recall. The soft shelled turtle had a look of surprise until he quickly masked it by scrunching up his face and returning to whatever he was working on.</p><p>"I see, I see..." he mumbled, a tad annoyed. This was another him, so Donnie had no trouble realizing he was frustrated with the conversation; also by the fact he was really into what he was doing. He took that as a cue to talk about something else.</p><p>"Are you working on the portal right now?" Donnie tentatively asked, gesturing to what the other him had in front of him on the table.</p><p>"Yep."</p><p>"And you're fine doing that on your own?"</p><p>"Uh huh."</p><p>"You don't seem to like me that much," Donatello scratched his chin a bit in nervousness, clasping his hands together afterwards. As if something was set off in Don's head he huffed, lightly slamming his forearms onto the desk, tools dropping from his hands. He spun around and faced the other purple-themed turtle mutant. </p><p>"Gosh, did I come off that way?" He pushed a hand into his head, leaning back. Don let his arms fall into his lap soon after saying that. Donatello was very confused, he supposes he still had some things to learn about this him. It sounded like he wasn't used to actually having good conversation while he invents so he reduced his responses to simple affirmations--a good tactic to get people to go away. Don was accidentally using it here though. "It's just--" Don interuptted himself with a short sigh, "you're so much more experienced, despite your primitive technology. You also got my brothers to actually listen to you, which is...<em>pretty</em> atypical." Donnie made a sour expression at the little insult in between the rant but he figured he'd ignore it. He took a few glances around the laboratory. </p><p>"Why are you so upset? I'm the one who should be upset, I mean, you got crazy materials and inventions in here, things I could never dream of being able to make!" He couldn't quite fathom why he could possibly be this depressing with the technology he has at his fingertips. But, as a fellow Donatello, he thinks he is sorta starting to understand what is exactly bugging him.</p><p>"Oh, don't get me wrong, I have easy access to even titanium." A defensive look grew on Donald's face as he spoke about his technological prowess. "I'm talking about <em>actual</em> ninja skills and <em>actually</em> getting people to acknowledge your greatness!" Yep, that's what it was, and it's always what it boils down to for him too--attention, people to tell you they like what you've made for them, that people appreciate your help. He also sensed the narcissism too. When did this conversation get so deep? Donnie shook his head hastily to get rid of the condescending thoughts.</p><p>"I didn't do much, all I asked was for them to stop being a bunch of doofuses," Donatello rolled his eyes slightly only to catch his insult a little late, "not that they are--were...I should stop talking but heaven knows I won't..." he groaned at himself before continuing. "Anyways, what I mean to say is: don't get so bummed out. I'm sure your brothers love your inventions and you'll start to learn more Ninjutsu as you grow," Donnie reassured to a version of himself, a tad perturbed by how close he sounded like his Leo there. He'll never be used to this--advice isn't his forte. Donald gave a look of apprehension towards the other him before sliding his foot slightly against the ground to make himself face the desk again. </p><p>"You make a lot of sense, which is a given for another me," Don griped, not particularly set on not complaining any more than he already has. "And no offense taken, they're dumb...to an excruciating degree." Donatello let out a deep breath of relief at those words, feeling better about what he said now that he agreed. Something didn't seem to stick right with Don as he questioned: "How old are you?" </p><p>"Seventeen..?" he responded as if he was confused as to why he asked in the first place.</p><p>"And you're older too...I knew it," Don gave himself a mental pat on the back as he returned to his typical emotionless self. "Speaking of Ninjutsu though, when did your dad begin teaching you?" He aimlessly asked, some focus on talking and the rest on working on the machine in front of him. Donatello didn't even have to think for a second about that answer.</p><p>"Oh, before we could even fully walk. At least, for Raph and Leo that is. Mikey and I took some time to get into being a ninja," Donatello happily replied. Wait a second, he called Splinter "dad"..? Don seemed more frustrated with each response he was getting but there was clear relief in the fact he was talking to someone who gets him.</p><p>"Ah, mood...being a ninja is cool and all but why bother when I'm constantly told not to use any of my technology. Like, it's a tool for a reason! It's supposed to make life easier!" Don ranted, doing exaggerated hand gestures as he spoke, a frown distinct on his face. Donnie was thrown off a bit by the unfamiliar slang, but he did agree with him in the long run.</p><p>"Very true, but hasn't Sensei taught you already to not rely on just your tech?"</p><p>"Yeah, Raph tries to enforce it too. However, I still kick their butts with my staff, so it's hard to take him seriously," Don chuckled to himself in self praise. The other mutant turtle released a pent up breath, staring at the soft shell with understanding but also a tad bit of disappointment. He would tell him about how to improve yet that seemed like a problem for other mutants that were not him. </p><p>"Heh, I'd love to see that," Donatello gleamed, indulging in the idea that Raph or Leo couldn't beat an alternate him. "Also, sorry to hear your brothers don't care about your projects," he consoled. His own brothers liked his inventions and expressed it, however when it came to something dire their pressure made him crack. They never understand just how long any of it takes. As they've grown their interest in his machines has seemed to dwindle--not that he blames them, he has gotten more used to being by himself too. It's just nice to share though.</p><p>"Meh."</p><p>"Meh?" Donnie questioned, flabbergasted at the sudden shutdown of his sympathy.</p><p>"Well, it's just a them problem, their incompetence not mine. If anything you should be sorry for how much of a brain they lack sometimes," he clarified, clearing adding the "sometimes" part to seem less harsh.</p><p>"You're not an empath at all, are you?" Donnie drawled, his fellow mutant giving a simple shrug.</p><p>"Or nice, or affectionate, <em>or</em> sympathetic, caring, emotional, bashful, ecetra ecetra..." Don listed rather deadpan. Somehow Donnie just didn't believe all those things and not because they were technically the same person. </p><p>"I think you still care though...even if they're annoying."</p><p>"Yes, a smidge, but how else am I going to forge my emotionless bad boy persona? It takes countless hours of self esteem boosting exercises to get this apathetic," he said, as if he was hurt by the fact the other him didn't understand his goal. Yeah, this guy is weird, they're not alike on a personal scale. </p><p>"I'm surprised, you don't come off as conceited as you should." Donatello gave a soft smile, teasing the other him.</p><p>"No, Leon's shtick is to be conceited. My talent is being neglectful but charming!" It was almost scary at how well this Donatello was able to control his emotions, although he did come off as pretty stunted in that area. Donnie knows what it's like to hold all that in, maybe it's a good thing he's freely discussing this with him now. He got up from his seat, stretching a bit in the process. </p><p>"Looks like you're already making steady progress on the interdimensional portal machine," Donnie commented, peering over Don's shoulder to see what he's doing. He didn't get too close just to respect his personal bubble. Even though their conversation was all over the place he finds he really got to know him better. </p><p>"Yes, but it's going to take some time, especially with the tuning to actually find your world," Don admitted.</p><p>"Don't worry, I had a few run ins before that forced me to memorize the settings to my dimension," Donnie responded, a bit proud of himself for also having it written down just in case. It would've been better for his psyche though if he didn't have to ever do either of those. Such is his cruel fate.</p><p>"Oh boy, a few?" The soft shell popped a brow out of curiosity. "I remember you mentioning you've done this before."</p><p>"Uh huh. Kraang, Triceratons, <em>other</em> other dimensional me's--the usual," Donatello haphazardly stated, only confusing the younger turtle more. Based on his reaction it seemed like he never heard of any of those before. "Wait, do you know what those are?" He said, referring to the two alien races. He was almost glad he didn't add in the time travel shenanigans he has dealt with it, which he left out because it didn't technically apply.</p><p>"Not a clue."</p><p>"Yikes...guess that's something for future you to learn about <em>if</em> they're even in this universe." Donnie shrugged, heading towards the exit to the lab. It was getting way past late due to their conversation. He was going to need some rest before concentrating all his brain power into reinventing a portal. </p><p>"I'm off to bed," Donnie spoke up, letting Don know where he was going. The younger mutant gave a knowing huff in reply. Donatello felt like lecturing him on going to sleep too but that seemed like a hypocritical move--it also just wasn't his business.</p><p>He opened the doors and exited, closing them quietly behind him. Donnie made his way to the living room area, if you could call it that. There was a figure already laying dead asleep on a beanbag by the time he sat down on the couch. It was Raphael, he must have slept out here to make sure he was comfortable. Donnie wasn't sure if he was looking too much into that or not.</p><p>He quietly adjusted a pillow that Raph had probably got out for him earlier, same with a blanket he began to wrap himself in. He would never say this out loud, but this was all kind of a nice change of pace. Outside of potentially getting trapped in another dimension by a reckless little brother and a ridiculously childish Leo. This can't get any weirder.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Shorter chapter just for that good character interaction. :] Also to prevent burnout, lol. Took my liberties with the ages because I wanted 2012 to be older. Hope any of this conversation makes some sense at least? Or I might just rewrite it...</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. A tense breakfast</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The turtles head over to Draxum's to get the lowdown on Leo's sword, plus breakfast and a bit of getting to know one another.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sore, so sore. This couch was not the comfiest thing in the world or maybe he is just too used to sleeping on harder surfaces. Donatello stirred quietly, hugging his pillow close to his face, laying on his stomach. The blanket was loosely on his figure, one half on his legs the other on the ground. He heard faint chatting as he shoved his face deeper into the cushion. His internal clock was telling him it was way too early to be getting up. Was time even the same here? Was that why he was so tired? He let out a soft groan to himself as he continued to lay there. Loud however subtle footsteps were marching his way, a hand grabbing the blanket and pulling it up onto him, practically tucking him in. Donnie appreciated the gesture despite not being used to it at all. He can barely even begin to remember the last time someone tucked him in like this. Leo never shied away from tucking Mikey in though.</p><p>"Raph, he needs to get up! We gotta head over to Draxum's before his shift," Leo protested, a tea cup in his hands. </p><p>"I can't help it, he looks so peaceful..." Raphael whined slightly, taking a seat on the free space beside Donnie. </p><p>"<em>AwwhHh</em>," Mikey said rather cutesy, admiring the small Donnie, "true, but we already told Draxum we would bring him breakfast, what if it gets cold? He wouldn't like that very much, I don't want him to be upset," Mikey contemplated, a basket on the counter with both of his hands on its sides. Raphael gave a knowing sigh, already being convinced by his youngest brother just from how desperate he sounded. The snapper got up from the seat, crouching down to eye level with Donnie's head as he slightly nudged him with a finger.</p><p>"Hey, other Don, it's time to get up," Raphael said in a soft tone. His own Don took note of this as it was the same way he talked to him at times, he was humored by how he did it to this alternate him. Donnie wasn't expecting this kind of voice to come from Raph, but honestly he should've at this rate. He slowly shifted upwards, resting his weight on his forearms that were on either sides of the pillow. Donatello turned his face towards Raph, a look of exhaustion and annoyance plastered to his face. "Good morning!" The red-themed turtle whispered with a toothy grin.</p><p>"Good morning," Donnie managed to get out, sitting up as Raphael headed back over to the counter to grab his protein shake. He grabbed his bandana that had been draped over the top of the couch, tying it back onto his face. The teenage mutant began to fold the blanket and fluff the pillow out to get rid of the indents. He set them on top of each other as he got up and went to go grab his staff that had been leaning on the wall. </p><p>"Do you want anything before we go?" Raphael inquired. "Water, milk, juice?" Donnie shook his head in a 'no', rolling his shoulders to crack them alongside popping his neck. There was a general soreness still lingering but it was nothing he couldn't walk off. He was pretty much ready to go, although he much rather go back to sleep--maybe not on that couch though. All of the turtles seemed to be wearing some sort of warm clothing; sweaters, sweatpants, even earmuffs. This confused Donnie a great deal: for one, it wasn't anything close to winter when he got sent here, and secondly, they're wearing clothes. He had to admit it did look rather comfy. None of his brothers typically worry any clothing because it can hinder them in battle, or at least that's what Leonardo gave as a reason and everyone else just followed suit. This Leo however took notice of Donnie's lack of fashion.</p><p>"Here, take this, it's way too cold out to be going out bare shell." The slider offered him a salmon hoodie that said "Radio Queen" on it. Yeah, just to be nice he accepted the abomination of a clothing choice. It felt a bit off to be wearing it but it was loose enough for him to maneuver just fine. Donnie gave out a quiet thanks as everyone moved to exit the lair, still thinking about how pink was the last color he thought he'd have on him.</p>
<hr/><p>It was cold and on the bitter side with a light snowfall. He always disliked winter, it was hard to maneuver and his luck always made him slip. Also, ashy snow by the factory districts in NY was the worst to be around. This seasonal difference is making his innerworkings go a bit haywire; he might be getting sick already. On their way there Donnie felt the need to get caught up on who exactly they were meeting.</p><p>"So, who's this Draxum guy, again?" He asked, leaping with the group across the rooftops with ease. Donnie was barely breaking a sweat.</p><p>"Oh he's kinda like our second father," Leonardo replied nonchalantly, seeming like he didn't entirely believe that idea, as he passed Donatello. </p><p>"Yep, he's the guy who mutated us and pops," Raph followed up, his movement clunky however still somehow getting him somewhere. "Mikey is rehabilitating the guy, he's basically a lunch lady now." </p><p>"Uh huh, and he's making great progress!" Michelangelo proudly exclaimed, jumping high in the air out of excitement. He was really looking forward to seeing what this Donnie thought of Draxum, he loves it when two people he likes get along.</p><p>"Figured you didn't know him, he is a mystic after all," Donald added, using his battle shell to give him a boost to go higher than Mikey leaped, receiving a "bleh" face in response from the orange-themed turtle. </p><p>"How did you get mutated, tiny Donnie? Since you don't have a weirdo like Draxum around," the red-eared slider of the group questioned a little loud. Raphael gave him a stern look at the offhand name calling on both accounts, especially because he knows not to do it around Mikey. Donatello was getting use to being called the "smaller Donatello" by now, although it was a strange feeling since he has always been the tallest aside from Splinter.</p><p>"Mutagen." He gave a short and to-the-point response, assuming that they weren't turned into ninja teens by just magic alone. Science existed for a reason and all turtles get in touch with the green ooze. He didn't think about explaining the Kraang since he already learned that they don't have them here, as far as the other him knows of course.</p><p>"That's an on-the-nose name," Raph commented as he caught himself before slipping on ice he had accidentally landed on. Donnie has no idea how he gets around like that, or well, how he is so quiet while doing so.</p><p>It hadn't been that long after that conversation that they finally arrived at the rundown apartment that belonged to this "Draxum". The box turtle of the group rang the doorbell, giddy to talk to his other father figure, picnic basket in his hands. Now is the time where Donnie really should be getting insecure about his height. A tall lengthy figure answered the door, he almost looked like a tired puppy, or perhaps even a disheveled sphinx, and he donned a vintage robe. A tired but expecting smile creeped onto his face as he stepped aside and gestured for the turtles to come in.</p><p>"You're here! Take a seat, anywhere at all," Draxum offered, the mutants filing in and looking around the place as if it was their first time being there again. Donnie hesitantly entered last, soon taking a seat on the green couch that was barely holding together. It had fluff sticking out of rips and obvious stains all over it. He didn't particularly mind granted he has gotten plenty of furniture in this state from the dumps or side of the road. He just prayed it didn't have any bugs, he's had more than enough of them in his lifetime--especially giant alien ones.</p><p>"Wow-a Draxy, you cleaned this place since the last time we've been here," Leonardo teasingly complimented, giving a small acknowledging clap. Draxum pretended he didn't hear that as he focused on the other more non-judgmental turtles. He hadn't seemed to notice nor really care that another Donnie was there, he must be used to this kind of thing.</p><p>"Anyways..." Raphael spoke up to clear the tense air in the room. "Sure you already know what's going on from Mikey, and plus there is another Donnie here," he nervously laughed to lighten the mood. Draxum gave an expression of brief confusion before looking straight at the new Donatello.</p><p>"Huh, there is? I seemed to have counted heads wrong when you came in," Draxum drawled, not entirely excited about the fact there will be two Donnies in his life till further notice. Him and Leonardo had a lot in common at the moment. Oh, so that's how it was; Donatello doubts he didn't notice him because of his ninja skills and more of the lack of height here. "Yes, I heard Leonardo had broken his mystic weapon. That's grave news, but nothing that can't be fixed." Draxum eased their worries.</p><p>"Oh thank god--" Leonardo belted, getting eyes from everyone. He quickly shrunk back down, pretending he didn't just shout in glee and relief at what the yōkai had said. Draxum gestured to see the damaged weapon, Don complying and displaying the piece in front of the towering individual.</p><p>"I wouldn't advise touching it, it seems to go wacko when in contact with anything mystic." Donald gave a stifled laugh, exaggerating the "c" in the last word. Draxum nodded, already knowing that was the case.</p><p>"Yes, it responds to large amounts or otherwise powerful mystic energy," Draxum disclosed. "In this state if you were to directly interact with it the results could be fatal, or at the very least mind warping." Donatello looked at him in spite after the explanation.</p><p>"What, pfht, so <em>I</em> don't have any magical power?"</p><p>"Eh, just not anything strong," he said, "but look on the bright side, it means you can carry the weapon for me." Draxum gave a small smile, mostly to tease the discontent turtle. Don groaned in response; even if he disliked mystics it was still a little upsetting to know he didn't have a natural born knack for it anyway.</p><p>"Wait, you said mind warping...<em>fatal?</em>" Donatello suddenly spat out rather alarmed. </p><p>"Yes, more than just that, really. Brain deuteriation, hallucinations, permanent numbing, soreness, blacking out...kind of like the effects of those human drugs." Draxum listed the severities, each varying in its own level of danger and concern. "Worst case scenario, being in contact with it could rewrite your very genetic code or even kill you. It's powers are limitless, it's why I use it. You seem to be fine, though, so I wouldn't worry about it too much, purple one," he reassured the smaller Donatello, Donnie however not calming down. These were forces he knew nothing about, if they somehow messed him up he would have no idea how to fix it. The insecurity of this reality was creeping into his mind and it refused to let go. He went quiet as they continued their conversation. Mikey took a seat by Donnie, a hand on his back as he tried to comfort him.</p><p>"What's a drug?" Mikey piped up afterwards, curious. Everyone seemed to look at him sympathetically but also a bit nervous.</p><p>"No no, you don't need to learn that, dear child." Donald covered his younger brother's ears protectively for a few moments before letting go.</p><p>"Oh man," Raphael exhaled, tense at the news and feeling sympathetic to the other Donatello's situation. "How do we repair the ōdachi then?" He urged for an answer.</p><p>"You just need some steel--the mystical kind, of course. Also an able amount of mystic energy, which I'm sure we have enough of between the four of us." The yōkai answered confidently, only to have Donald reeling.</p><p>"Mystical kind? Oh no, does that mean we're going into the-" </p><p>"Oh yes yes, the mystic realm, I miss that place even if everything there wants to imprison me or eat my guts!" Leo shoved Don out of the way by the face as he forced himself back into the conversation. Suddenly, the red-eared slider considered just how much work and effort that would take. "But, uh...any chance you'll just get it for us, Draxy my man?" He gave a wide smile.</p><p>"No." Draxum instantly declined.</p><p>"Not even if I get you famous recipes from chefs all across New York?" Leo continued to prod, giving him puppy eyes.</p><p>"No! You seem to forget I'm banished from there, turtle." He was beginning to get frustrated with the blue one.</p><p>"Maybe I want you...to go to...prison..." the blue-themed mutant slowly got quieter as he spoke, sliding back away and sinking into the couch with folded arms. Mikey turned and gave him a disapproving look, Leo not paying too much mind to it as he sunk deeper. Draxum wasn't all that bothered by the comment as he turned back to face to Raphael.</p><p>"What does the mystical steel look like?" Mikey asked.</p><p>"It's gray for the most part, typically hot due to the energy it contains. You're going to need one that glows blue, any other won't work unless you deliberately want to explode a part of the city." Draxum responded.</p><p>"Alright, so Draxum and Donnies, you stay here with the ōdachi. Me, Leo, and Mikey will go get the steel," Raph planned out, everyone nodding...except for Donatello. He was already stuck in a lurch about the idea that he could possibly be dying internally and have no idea how to fix it. Donnie sucked in a breath, standing up, his alternate younger brother's hand being left in the air as he did so. He had to get this fixed as soon as possible if he had a chance of recovery.</p><p>"No, I can go too." Donatello spoke up, not entirely as convincing as he tried to sound. "Hey Don, do you have a frequency scanner?" Donald gave him a dead look, only to swiftly pull out a scanner.</p><p>"Who do you think I am, I wouldn't be a Donatello if I didn't have one on me at all times." Don boasted, handing the other him the machine. He quickly picked up on what he was doing, but it looked like a silent understanding between the two as he worked on changing some specs. Donnie was going to ignore the fact that he didn't have a scanner on him so it technically made him somewhat illegitimate. Leo was getting impatient with the two science nerds keeping information to themselves.</p><p>"And what are you doing with that, exactly?"</p><p>"It's rather simple, <em>Leon</em>. He's going to scan one of your weapons and attune the radar to the steel's individual frequencies," Don explained. The three non-technologically advanced nor intelligent turtles sat there as they were thrown for a loop with the big words.</p><p>"Okay now say the same thing but like an <em>actual</em> person," Leonardo said after a brief pause of confusion. "You always forget to do that." He mumbled to himself.</p><p>"He's going to track the magic steel stuff with the beeping machine." Donald dumbed it down for his incompetent brother, pointing to what he was talking about as he spoke like he was talking to a toddler. The slider gave a thumbs up in reply cause now he actually understood. Donatello proceeded to do what he did best and eventually he got it working, it was now attuned to the blue mystic steel. Wow, this material was really causing the radar to go on the fritz. Thankfully, Don will stay behind and keep the sword far away from them so they can complete the mission. However, before any of that, breakfast was getting cold.</p><p>Everyone took a serving of the wrapped up pancakes Michelangelo had baked alongside bacon and eggs. Draxum was enjoying an omelet made specifically for him and very graciously too. Donnie was a bit hesitant to dive into the food because of his lack of an appetite. However, to not hurt this Mikey's feelings, he at least put some food on his plate. If this were his Mikey he wouldn't think for even a second about ditching the food and going off on his merry way. That thought didn't entirely sit right with him. Speaking of his brothers, he hadn't stopped thinking about them this entire time. What were they doing? How were they doing without him? Did they even care? Did Leo yell at Mikey for shoving him into an unknown portal? He really wanted to know that last one. The tiny and strewn apart bites he was taking ever so often was enough to catch Mikey's attention, concern blatant in his demeanor.</p><p>"Hey, Lil' Donnie, what's wrong?" The soft shelled turtle awaited an answer patiently even though he was sure he knew why. Being far from home was never a nice feeling; personally, he hated the idea even though he acts like he is perfectly fine on solo missions or trips. Also, it's not every day you get told you could've died, not that they're not used to that either. The nickname had <em>really</em> being catching on but it was too late to correct at this point. Raph turned to Mikey, sending a signal to him to not pry too much. Donatello shook his head, picking up on this.</p><p>"No, it's okay." Donnie rested his fork down on the syrup-covered plate. "Just thinking about my brothers is all." This dimension Donnie was thinking about their conversation last night and the topic of "attention".</p><p>"What's your relationship with your brothers, like?" Don asked, surprising everyone with how interested he was in the new turtle's life.</p><p>"I think the simplest way to put it is: a mess," Donnie breathed out followed by a small chortle. "They're great, just difficult and distant sometimes." He wasn't entirely excusable for his behavior or how he treats them but they all had just gotten used to the "loner" rolls. Donnie just hopes there isn't any newfound tension among his brothers over this situation, however that seemed like a fruitless dream at this point. It would've been nice to take a break in another dimension yet the idea that the magic messed him up in some way was lingering, not letting him settle down.</p><p>"What..? Why's that?" Leonardo wondered, scarfing down a big bite of a pancake. Donatello thought for a moment; even though he was the smartest person he knew, he couldn't quite figure out why he acted the way he did with his brothers. He resorted to a very half-assed answer, describing possible causes than anything clear.</p><p>"Stress? Possibly fed up with one another? Bad food?" Donnie shrugged with a tiny chuckle, scooting the plate away from him for now his appetite had disappeared completely. "I think we just all grew apart, we're only really together when it's watching tv or doing missions and saving the world." He rolled his eyes at the ideas, wishing he actually knew why. Maybe it was a good time to sit down and talk with them the next chance he gets. The idea of his brothers being distant to one another left Mikey with a bad taste in his mouth. Getting on one another's nerves was a normal sibling thing to do and yet the thought that it could possibly drive them all apart bothered him. He hoped that would never be the case, and he hoped they never thought he was too annoying.</p><p>"Do you just not get along?" Raphael asked a tad impatiently, setting his utensils down. He wanted to know what had happened and he wanted to prevent it from happening here. The snapped tried his best to ease his anxious tone.</p><p>"More or less?" It was a mix: they had their moments of genuinely one another's presence yet it did not outweigh the negative experiences they've had. Donatello was humored that his Raph was trying so hard to get to the bottom of this separation. He clearly loved his brothers, he wish he was confident in how his own Raphael felt. </p><p>Breakfast continued rather quietly outside of a few short stories and jokes between the brothers to make Donnie feel more comfortable. It seemed like they were making a better effort at getting along due to what they heard. Donatello wasn't sure how to feel about it. He shook his head, a tiny smile creeping onto his face as he put his food back and cleaned his plate in the sink. To take his mind off of everything he began to do the dishes, Draxum letting him do so without protest. Raphael had gotten up and offered to help, drying whatever he washed. Mikey looked at the two silently however cheerfully doing a chore, a warm however guilty feeling rising in his chest. He felt horrible for Donnie, thoughts clouding his mind. The orange-themed turtle turned to his older brother, Leo, sadness clear in his features.</p><p>"Let's never end up like that, okay?" The box turtle sad lowly, the other mutant peering down at him sympathetically. Leo took his little brother's hand in his and squeezed it gently.</p><p>"Yeah, promise."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Back to the story! Yeah, I was spelling Draxum's name wrong the entire time for some reason, nice.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Pitstops before trouble</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The turtles head back to the lair to pick some things up before they go but they're stopped by a curious Splinter and April.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The turtles had picked up breakfast and were now on their way back to the lair. Don was with them as he had explained it would give him some good time to work on the portal, especially since Draxum still had his shift at school. Donatello reserved his numerous pending questions about the "mystic realm" from coming out, thinking that all this question-asking was starting to wear them out and him too. He couldn't deny his curiosity but there is a good chance they will explain and boast about all the things they have seen or encountered on the way there. Which he was correct about since Leonardo and Michelangelo were engaged in a sucking-up conversation about all their crazy conversations, clearly attempting to interest Donnie.</p>
<p>For some reason it seemed like they wanted recognition from the purple-themed turtle, perhaps it was because their Donatello was very reserved and never expressed praise to his brothers. In truth, Donnie himself rarely did so either outside of the actual times his brothers did something competent and smart (or gave him ideas at the very least).</p>
<p>They continued towards the lair and eventually made it to the sewer hole, each periodically going in. Leo ended up shoving Don a bit just to mess with him as they went down the latter and it resulted in everyone falling, except for Donatello who was last to get on. He stared down at the piled turtles, hanging on the latter with a less than surprised face. He found the scene in front of him slightly humorous, and it also reminded him of the several times his Raph and Mikey had done this exact thing to one another. However, this time it was with the two other turtles of the group.</p>
<p>"Leo, can you not mess with Don for one minute?" Raphael demanded in an annoyed tone as he got up, Mikey still attached to his back with a dazed expression. Donnie noted that this was the same phrase his Leonardo would have said in this situation, which added to the growing humor. Leo blankly stared at his older brother, the slider clearly not having expected for everyone to collapse onto one another. The soft shell turtle beneath him was beyond frustrated as he pushed Leo to the side and got up, dusting himself off with an unamused look. This resulted in the slider rolling his eyes a bit, getting up as well, staying silent at the reprimand.</p>
<p>"You guys are too much," Donnie muttered to himself, hopping off the ladder and following the other him towards the lair with a tiny smile. It seemed like an infectious action for the rest of the crew steadily calmed down. Raphael was still less than thrilled about the goofing off when they had something serious to attend to but he supposed he would let it go for now.</p>
<p>They continued on towards the lair, Donnie mentally laying out the path in his head. Alas, they made it to the entrance, and this time around there wasn't much relief in their systems as they did so; they had a big job to do, after all. Don immediately reserved himself to his lab, the ōdachi still attached to his side as he went out of view. Mikey took off towards the kitchen to put the basket and wares inside away. Leo and Raph looked at one another expectantly, knowing what they had to do next. Donatello idled for a few moments, not aware of the intensity before Raphael spoke up.</p>
<p>"So are you going to go ask pops for a new weapon or should I?" The snapper flatly asked, curled fists on his hips as he glanced over to the curtains on the far side of the lair with a nudge of his head. Leo had an uneasy expression for a few seconds before he mustered up some courage, knowing full well that his father was not going to like this one bit. He also knew that asking for a new weapon after breaking and throwing old ones away carelessly will more than irk the old man too. Classic Leonardo. He walked over to the room but before he was even halfway there the curtains opened themselves. Everyone's attention in the room was caught by the moving cloths, even Donnie's who had no idea what to expect from this world's Splinter. A short rat man padded out of the room, a taller teen accompanying him. </p>
<p>"Oh hey, April...Dad!" Leonardo dragged in a soft tone, giving a small wave before putting his hands together. Both of the individuals he was talking to weren't very pleased with him, although it boggled him why they were already mad before he even said his piece.</p>
<p>"Leonardo, is there something you wanted to tell me?" Splinter scrutinized his son in a suspecting way, probably knowing full well of what had happened yesterday. Leon could tell by the way his father had his hands on his hips and his tail swishing anticipatingly behind him that he <em>definitely</em> knew--there wasn't hiding anything from him! Aside from those times he stole some of his sodas, he blamed that on Donald. He let out a huff and hunched over sluggishly, clenching his teeth and dragging his mouth into a cringe.</p>
<p>"Yeah, so--I didn't mean to break my ōdachi and bring another Donnie into this dimension and also throw April through a portal, it was an accident, I swear!" Leon spat out almost all at once, slightly whiney. Splinter then folded his arms, popping a brow as he awaited for something else. The slider shut his eyes for a few moments out of annoyance and then opening them. "...and I'm sorry for inconveniencing everyone and putting them in danger due to my carelessness."</p>
<p>"And?" April said, her demands written all over her face.</p>
<p>"AND I will make it up to you and Sunita by taking you out..." Leonardo gave in, thinking that whatever gripes April had were already long gone. He'll hold a grudge for a little while about her telling on him to Splinter, although he begs to differ that it could have come up naturally in conversation. "Now, can we please move on from this? There is still a turtle over there," he pointed to Donnie, "probably dying from some weird mystic mumbo jumbo that we need to get home ASAP, so I <em>really</em> need a new weapon!" Splinter sighed, throwing a thumb over his shoulder at the room he was just in.</p>
<p>"If there is one thing I am, it's prepared. An extra pair of your katanas are in the back next to Raphael's old broken snow globes...still need to make one of you throw those out, hmm." It was the master's turn to give in to his son and let him retrieve his old but familiar weapons from a small storage he had stockpiled in there. Splinter had figured they would eventually come in handy, he just didn't exactly have a convenient spot to put them--or well, he forgot to put them somewhere more convenient. He scratched his beard, looking at the shorter Donatello now staying with them. Donnie was still in shock, this was their Splinter, an <em>actual</em> Splinter. Lots of questions were budding in the mutant's mind, not a lot of them along the lines of "nice".</p>
<p>"Oh, dad, this is Donatello, the other Don, from another dimension!" Raphael took it upon himself to introduce the two to one another, the Donnie in question giving a tiny wave to the rodent. Splinter simply placed his arms behind his back and walked up to him, examining him.</p>
<p>"A little on the short side, eh?" The Ninjutsu master ears flicked a bit.</p>
<p>"Well, aren't you charming..." Donnie said subconsciously in a low voice. Raph chuckled nervously, hoping that the two would get along. April stepped closer to the new Donatello, giving a wide smile with a hand outstretched.</p>
<p>"What he means to say is 'nice to meet you, Donatello', I'm April--you already knew that, though." She gave a tiny roll of her eyes, Donatello taking her offer to handshake. This almost seemed like the first actual pleasant introduction he has had--not that the brothers of his of this world really needed to, but they were different enough that it was almost strange that they haven't. Although the lack of attention isn't particularly something he isn't used to. This version of April was jarring, however that seemed a bit...y'know, a bad first impression and choice of character to just ask her why she looks the way she does. With the amount of differences he is racking up looking at the two new individuals before him he needs to stop asking questions and just let it be. He felt like bringing up the differences between the two but that was a conversation for another time, if he ever got the chance. Donnie assumed that if his April was ever here this crew of misfits would have a ballpark with her. The introductions were brought to a halt as Leo slid out of the room he had gone to earlier, curtains flailing from how he whisked out of it. </p>
<p>"Okay, swords check!" Leonardo had his weapons in his hands, a toothy grin on his face as he showed them off and twirled them around. Nobody was all that impressed but it brought some closure to Donnie to see the familiar weapons finally returned to their turtle. Every turtle outside of Don (to some extent) had a completely new weapon with mystic powers, so this change was welcomed although he'll never outwardly say it. Leon returned his blades to his back, light jogging over to Raph. Mikey returned from the kitchen and joined them, hopping up on the snapper's back childishly and climbing him so he was peeking over his broad shoulder. </p>
<p>"Oh, sup' April!" Michelangelo perked up, the girl returning a smile to the orange-themed turtle in front of her. "What are you doing here?"</p>
<p>"I came to check up on the whole wacko portal situation, but it seems you all have it handled." April shrugged, then experiencing a bit of doubt at the silence she was getting and adding: "You do have it handled, right?" Everyone except Donnie lightly grimaced, each of them not entirely sure if they knew what they were doing. Leon had to eventually learn how to travel across dimensions with his ōdachi if they can get it fixed. Raphael had to deal with the growing tension between the new Donatello and the others and also somehow get them through the mystic realm scot-free. And Mikey had his own concerns about the new information he keeps learning from this Donnie and none of them are good. There was also the possibility that the Donatellos couldn't get their portal machine working, which should be on the backburner of concerns but they couldn't help but worry about it.</p>
<p>"We're getting there," Raphael assured his friend although he wasn't too positive about it. Even though they eventually got through all their fights and problems and ended up winning, Raph could tell everyone was more than unsettled by their experiences and the seed of doubt often manifested within them in its own way. From releasing the oozesquitos to fighting Draxum and trying to redeem him and also...Shredder, they had their own fair share of scares. Thankfully, each turtle and even April were more than happy to confide in one another and receive the comfort and support they needed to pull through--even if some noticeably do it less than others, specifically Donald. April wasn't at all convinced by Raphael's feigned assurance, nor the expressions on the turtles before her.</p>
<p>"Mhm, <em>yeah...</em>it's settled, I'm coming with on whatever crazy adventure you gotta do to get this guy back home!" April adjourned. Nobody couldn't disagree with her coming along, she can handle it--she was freakishly strong, after all. "Besides, this is too insane for me to miss it!" She added, hands on her hips. Donnie had his reserves about letting an April come along in fear she could get hurt, but he didn't know anything about this world nor this April specifically. If he has learned anything at all over the years it was that April O'Neil is more than capable of taking down foes and keeping up with the turtles. </p>
<p>"You guys <em>still</em> aren't gone yet?" Don's voice made some members of the group jump slightly as he came out of seemingly nowhere, walking towards the kitchen. The turtle made it a point to put emphasis in his words, easily conveying that their situation was bridging on being in the "dire" category and they needed to stop loitering. </p>
<p>"And you're <em>still</em> not done with that machine?" Leo teased, imitating his brother. Don shot him a small glare, a grimace on his face.</p>
<p>"Hey, maybe you should try inventing a piece of technology that has the ability of interdimensional travel! Oh wait, you did do that, with your sword...and look what happened!" Don mocked. He had every right to act the way he did--although this was brimming on being more mean than intended, they knew next to nothing when it came to machinery--especially interdimensional mechanics! "As the only one who can invent, outside of my other self, I suggest you be patient or learn the skill yourself." The soft shell turtle berated a tad snobbish.</p>
<p>"Huh, that's neat, looks like you really did invent sarcasm...I've been stuck on that one for <em>years</em>." Leon stuck a bit of his tongue out before turning away and walking towards the exit of the lair, not paying all that much attention to the insults.</p>
<p>"Right, my bad, you <em>clearly</em> were the inspiration for the adjectives 'annoying' and 'infuriating', should've given you more credit." Don retorted before taking the cup of coffee he had made and leaving back to his lab. The red-eared slider was a bit dumbfounded at the comeback but also slightly proud. April rolled her eyes as she gave a light punch to Leo's shoulder, her bat in her free hand and hanging over her shoulder as she walked past him.</p>
<p>Donatello and April were now in front of the group as they walked a little further in the sewers to a different exit, presumably closer to where they had to go. Raph and Mikey stared at Leo apprehensively, the bigger of the two grabbing the slider's shoulder and pulling him back a bit to their pace. Leonardo faced them with confusion because they were holding some pretty judging and disappointed facial expressions at the moment.</p>
<p>"You really need to tone down the fighting, Leo," Michelangelo finally spoke up, brows curled upwards in concern, but not for Leo. It was for Donatello, the one from the other dimension, whom had expressed his lack of closeness to his own brothers (that's how it came across at least). This led the small mutant to be cautious of how he interacted with people around him in hopes he can make him more safe and comfortable. He hated imaging any sort of separation between the people he loves, even if he won't ever see them again; Donnie was going to leave at some point, after all. Perhaps he was acting selfish in this endeavor, yearning for some comfort before the chance to help in any way possible goes away. It really would make him feel better to help this version of Donatello though.</p>
<p>"What? We're not serious! You guys know that!" Leon said defensively in a whisper yell, a little skeptical at his brother's goal here. Leo found it <em>very</em> humorous to mess with Don in any shape or form, even if the others disapproved. It was just how they interacted on a daily basis and they both knew they weren't completely serious. It was to be expected from siblings, after all. Both of his other brothers looked at him unconvinced. "Well...only a little bit is real, okay? But, still!"</p>
<p>"Yes, we know, but like you heard, Little Donnie doesn't have the best relationship with his brothers. It's for the best we cool it down a bit, y'know so we don't trigger anything, maybe?" Raphael suggested, not all that sure about his words other than the fact he wants there to be less "fighting", or "playful banter" as Don and Leo would put it. </p>
<p>"How do we even know if that's the case, though? He just said they grew apart not that anything traumatic happened!" Leo was a little slow on the uptake of how serious this was to the others. He didn't find everything this to be all that serious of a deal, Donatello never showed signs of really being bothered by any of their bickering.</p>
<p>"But we can't guarantee that it didn't!" Mikey combated, actually raising his voice at Leo to his surprise. This made April and Donnie stop in their tracks and turn around. Donatello wasn't all that affected by the ferocity of Mikey's voice but it did remind him a bit of his own Michelangelo. He thought he was a constant in every dimension but this version seemed more sensitive and stressed. He wouldn't say it was a nice change though, angry Mikey isn't something to particularly mess with or be happy about.</p>
<p>"What's the problem?" April could tell from the fact that Mikey was mad that he must've been really hurt by something. She wasn't going to immediately accuse anyone, but Leo had an obviously guilty look on his face on how he shrunk back at the box turtle's words and avoided his stare. </p>
<p>"Oh, it's nothing--" Raphael began, attempting to calm down the situation before being cut off.</p>
<p>"No, no, it's not nothing," Leo interjected, turning towards Donatello. He wasn't going to let them brush it off. Clearly Mikey and Raph weren't all gung-ho for expressing their concerns and thoughts to Donnie, but Leo didn't mind. The slider wasn't unaware of the possible ramifications of asking such deep questions that could trigger something, however they heavily outweighed his drive to extinguish his two brother's protection raid. If they were so worried they should get it out in the world instead of hiding, it wouldn't hurt to ask. Leon didn't deny that Donnie was slightly unsettling or hard to talk to but that was only because they had no idea how to really interact with him. "These two think you have PTSD about your brothers." He said this very flatly and outward, Donnie widening his eyes at the statement.</p>
<p>"What? No...What even gave you that idea?" Donatello chuckled, confused at the allegation. Relief swept over the group, even Leo to an extent because he feared he was gonna accidentally insult the turtle in some way.</p>
<p>"You said your relationship...wasn't the <em>best</em>...with them, so we were asking Leon to stop fighting with our Don," Michelangelo confessed, coming forward past his brothers to take the blame. "Sorry for thinking that way...I just don't wanna make you uncomfortable." He folded his arms, his face downcast. Raph hastily put a hand onto his little brother's shoulder to support him.</p>
<p>"We <em>both</em> thought that was the case, we should've gotten more information first, sorry," the snapper apologized. Donnie was shocked--not only were they looking out for him, they were apologizing for it! It's not like his brothers hadn't done this before, but it wasn't often enough for him to be used to it.</p>
<p>"Oh gee, no, you're fine, n-no need to apologize," Donatello assured them wearily, moving his arms as he talked in subtle ways. "I appreciate the concern, guys, but it's not that big of a deal." When it came to the topic of PTSD, Donnie couldn't deny he has experienced some of it. However, none of that really involved the way he interacted with his brothers nor their relationships. There was many more traumatic experiences that caused that idea to go to the back of his mind. If anything, he wasn't saved from judgement since he didn't exact treat them too well either, like he's aforementioned. </p>
<p>"Since we're here, is there anything we...<em>should</em> know?" Raphael wondered. Donnie laughed a bit, giving the towering turtle a pat on the arm.</p>
<p>"Not that I can think of." He then moved away from Raph and headed back on his way to the sewer exit. "Unless the world is going to end, I think everything will be fine" That wasn't very reassuring or helpful to the worried teens, but what were they to do? Donatello didn't feel all that up to disclosing every little detail of his life to these other dimensional versions, even then that would actually make them even more concerned (his life was no party). </p>
<p>"I swear, if you jinxed it..." Leonardo shook his head, walking after Donatello in a light jog. </p>
<p>Right, as long as there were no giant mutant bugs, world-destroying dinosaur aliens, and especially no Kraang: Donnie will be fine. At least, he hopes so. For now, they're off to the supposedly "dangerous" magic realm, and he doesn't doubt that it will be.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I had this entire chapter finished...it just took me a month to post! I'm a little iffy with this story after coming back to it because I didn't exactly lay it out, but I might as well continue for fun.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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